Ryan Skinner

Ryan Thomas Skinner is an author, illustrator, musician, and ethnomusicologist who, for the past ten years, conducted extensive research on traditional and modern music in Mali, West Africa. Ryan is a longtime student of kora master Toumani Diabaté and has performed and taught kora music in Europe and the United States. The recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, Ryan holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Columbia University. Sidikiba's Kora Lesson is is about ten year-old Sidikiba who is about to be initiated into the world of the kora, a twenty-one stringed West African harp performed by his family for seventy generations. To become a kora player, like his father and grandfather before him, Sidikiba must honor and respect the wisdom of his elders, trust in the mystical secrets of his community, and, above all else, be patient and practice hard. Sidikiba's Kora Lesson is the story of a child's encounter with a rich cultural heritage set in a modern African city, where learning to balance the new and the old is part of growing up. Through sound, pictures, and text, Sidikiba's Kora Lesson comes alive for readers and music lovers of all ages!

Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Award – Winner, multicultural literature Moonbeam Children's Book Awards – Silver Medal, Book with Music/Theatrical Midwest Book Awards – Finalist, child/young adult fiction National Indie Excellence Awards – Finalist, children’s fiction

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Ryan Skinner

“Sidikiba’s Kora Lesson is rich with the flavor of the West Africa culture. The text is long and detailed, which makes the book more interesting for children of about eight and older. Armchair Interviews says: Schools will especially enjoy and benefit from this entertaining and informative book and CD.” -- Armchair Interviews

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